This is how I did my hair for NIOSA (Night In Old San Antonio) at Fiesta 2013. I shortened one of the umbrella sticks in order for them to all fit in a way that I could secure them with a hidden ruberband after stabbing the stick section in at the top of the side ponytail. They lasted for a good while throughout the night but eventually did fall out. It was fun night, and I did a lot of dancing, so I was impressed how long they lasted. In keeping with my goal of getting things cheaply to not paying any money for them I have a big bag of drink umbrellas that a friend gave me. They really come in handy from time to time.